Mortal Kombat: The Album
| Industry | Music production |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1994 |
| Founder | Maurice "Praga Khan" Engelen, Olivier Adams |
| Products | Mortal Kombat: The Album (soundtrack) |
Mortal Kombat: The Album is a 1994 soundtrack created by The Immortals—the duo Maurice "Praga Khan" Engelen and Olivier Adams—designed to complement the home editions of the video game Mortal Kombat. The track "Mortal Kombat (Techno-Syndrome)" was initially released as a single in 1993, and the full album was advertised through television spots promoting the game.
Background and recording
Following their achievements with the techno/industrial/new beat group Lords of Acid, Engelen and Adams were hired by Midway Games to produce this album. They were provided with game details, character profiles, and sound effects for sampling purposes, with a deadline of one month to complete the project amid their touring schedule. The record includes a dedicated techno piece representing each of the seven playable fighters plus the boss character Goro, along with two extra compositions. On the Mortal Kombat Sega CD release, "Hypnotic House (Mortal Kombat)" functions as an introductory track.
The most notable composition, "Mortal Kombat (Techno Syndrome)," was written exclusively by Adams while Engelen was unavailable. This piece incorporates the famous "Mortal Kombat!" shout sampled from the "Mortal Monday" advertisement, voiced by actor Kyle Wyatt. It became widely identified as the franchise’s signature tune following its inclusion in the 1995 movie adaptation, with various remixes maintaining its association with Mortal Kombat. The album attained a peak position of number 10 on the Billboard 200 and reached number 16 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.
Jonathan Oyama from VentureBeat noted resemblances between "Techno Syndrome" and 2 Unlimited’s "Twilight Zone," though Adams and Engelen have denied any deliberate influence, and no legal disputes followed.
Additionally, "Techno Syndrome" appears as a hidden track on the Sega CD version of Mortal Kombat, accessible either through the soundtrack mode or by selecting track 17 on a standard CD player.
Other renditions
The Utah Saints produced a remix titled "Utah Saints Take on the Theme from Mortal Kombat," which featured on the 1995 soundtrack album.
In 2011, Funk You Bits released "Funk do Mortal Kombat", a funk carioca reinterpretation of "Techno Syndrome" that gained traction in Brazil.
For the 2021 reboot film, composer Benjamin Wallfisch created "Techno Syndrome 2021," which climbed to number 5 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart and number 15 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs ranking.
A rendition by Anamanaguchi is featured in the 2023 Netflix anime series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, incorporating fresh vocals that reference Scott Pilgrim characters and replacing the iconic "Mortal Kombat!" scream. This version was released as a single from the series soundtrack on January 19, 2024.